Entering week 4....

Took this on Wednesday... the bump is even smaller now!

Completely mad!

I now have the formula for weight loss... I do not know how overweight I was but as you can see it was not great. I knew that if I did not do something about it, I would end up being extremely unhealthy and it would end up impacting on my health. Having the menopause also meant that I put weight on really quickly. My metabolism has slowed down and the monthly cycle of making a nest when I could rely the water and whatever calories it took to do this - that was no longer in play. So... I decided to so something about it.

I decided I was not going to exercise my way out of it. Instead I was going to get to the size I wanted to be and then start exercising again. I knew that exercise had nothing to do with weight loss because of my month long stay in Harapan. I barely moved in that month. We were not allowed to leave the compound. But I had this crazy restricted meals. You could eat all the rice you wanted but your meat portions were tiny and there was loads of veg. Also no snacking between meals. It was effectively an intermittent fast.

Fast forward ten years later...

I decided to try the fast this time here. I didn't know which to go for, so instead I settled for an extreme version of this 21:3 - I didn't eat for 21 hours and ate sensibly for the 3, sometimes 4. Mostly meat, lots of veg. Practically no carbs. 

I was used to not eating between 8 and 3. so that was ok. I just needed to add breakfast to that - and I was doing my fast. Also, I was not snacking in the evenings. Instead I spent it resting. Probably too much. This is the point about not having to exercise. Exercise when it is over. Plus I lead a crazy active life. Between school and forest school - it is kinda mental.

The first two weeks, the weight loss was imperceptible. I could see it, but it was a little bit - am i imagining it. I'm glad I decided to take photos of it - that kept me motivated. By the start of Week 3, it was clear that this was working. And at the start of Week 4 - well, here I am. I reckon I have only 2 more weeks to go - maybe three more to get to the weight I want to be. And thereafter I am going to do the 16: 8 - which is essentially back to where I was again, with exercise this time.

So it has taken me 3 weeks to do this - this is week 4. Less than a month. I do not think I will ever go back to eating the way I used to again. I have said repeatedly, it is amazing how little you need to live. And this is certainly true in this case. Once the fat reserves are to an amount I am happy with.... I am going to be just maintaining it with sensible eating.

In 2 to 3 weeks time my ENTIRE wardrobe will be available to me once more... I cannot believe that.

Just another 2 or 3 weeks. At the start of this it didn't bear thinking about. Now... I am at the most half way.

I feel better overall as well. It is the lightest I have been since the lockdowns certainly. And last year when the menopause really kicked in, the weight really started piling on.

But it's ok now.

I almost never talk about my weight. Almost never. This is probably the first time I have ever done this. And I am glad that I have tried this.

Some strange things about this...

1. I hardly ever felt hungry. Even when it came time for me to eat, I was not ravenously hungry. I wonder if the body when it starts tapping into stored fat just has it going then. I only ever really elt awful yesterday but that was because of the hayfever.

2. I don't think about snacking. Once the barrier go up, that's it. It is shut. No more eating. I realised how much I snack out of boredom and because my mouth just wants something in it.

3. I do not crave anything. I have no craving for favourite food. 

4. I drink a lot less. Because I am not eating, I am not drinking more than a glass of wine a day. 

This saves me lots of money, of course it does. I am delighted I am spending so much LESS. And once I start accessing my old wardrobe, it is going to be even more true. I might even get a bra so I can get into my T-shirts again.

But I am going to enjoy this SO MUCH.... And I will get my clothes mended by Martha. 

I am going to be able to go swimming and running in Singapore. Wear my summer dresses and shorts. Outfits which I have looked at sadly and never been able to fit into since I was in my 20s. Yes. I think 3 more weeks, just to be sure. It's less now. 2.5 weeks.

Is it unhealthy? Well, I don't see how it is unhealthy. I am going to be better off after these 6 weeks. And then I'm back to eating not normally, but sensibly. I have often gone to Singapore saying to myself NEXT YEAR I am going to be make sure I can fit into some of these nice clothes. And next year has never come. Instead it has become worse and worse. This year it is not the same. I started at the righr time... it is interesting I started when Mercury Retrograde took place and I went into myself... perhaps all change to self care should start during Mercury Retrograde.

Right time for lesson planning.